Solenoid



H. W. JENCKS Jan. 16, 1962 SOLENOID Filed Oct. 2, 1958 INVENTOR. #0441:w. vavcw; BY

A TTORNEYJ of FIG. 4.

United States PatehtQfifice 3,017,547 Patented Jan. 16, 1952 3,017,547SOLENOID Hollis W. Jencks, Ferndale, Mich, assignor to Detroit CoilCompany, Ferndaie, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Oct. 2, 1958,Ser. No. 764,992 4 Claims. (Cl. 317-191) This invention relates to animproved solenoid.

. More particularly it relates to improvements in the construction of asolenoid whereby the component parts may be quickly assembled together.

An object is the provision of a solenoid which includes a statorportion, a coil and bobbin assembly portion, an armature portion, andholding means capable of being detachably coupled with the stator andcoil assembly so as to quickly releasably secure the component parts ofthe solenoid structure together.

Another object is the provision of a solenoid as hereinvabove describedof simple, inexpensive construction which ends itself to easy and quickassembly and disassembly of its component parts without the useofscrews, bolts, or the like.

A furtherobject is the provision of a solenoid wherein there is a;-shaped stack or stator part, abobbin and coil assembly part removablyreceivable between the arms of the C-shaped stator, a T-shaped armaturepart removably associated with the stator and coil for workingreciprocation, and releasable improved securing means capable of beingquickly connected and/or disconnected with the stator and coil assemblyto hold the coil in place.

A meritorious assembly is disposed bet-ween the two arms of the C-shaped stator seated upon the bight portion of the stator, and when soseated the coil and bobbin assembly is spaced from overhanging endportions of the stator arms, and the securing means is in the form of aU-shaped spring clip which is adapted to resiliently grip the arms ofthe stator and a portion of the bobbin assembly, and said spring cliphas parts received between the overhanging ends of the stator arms andthe adjacent end of the bobbin assembly, which results in holding thebobbin assembly against the bight of the stator, and which parts are soheld in place between the overhanging ends of the stator arms and saidend of the bobbin assembly by the tension of the spring clip, ashereinafter more specifically set forth.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features will more fullyappear from the following description, claims, and accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the solenoid assembly;

FIG. 2 is an elevation similar to that of FIG. 1 except that a part ofthe assembly is broken away to show the construction more clearly;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan of a spring clip which is used to hold the coil andbobbin assembly in position within the stator;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 In the drawings thesolenoid or electromagnetic device comprises a stator or frame in theform of a core struc ture generally indicated at and having asubstantially C-shaped configuration. This core is formed of amultiplicity of laminations as is conventional practice. The C-shapedconfiguration of the core exhibits two opposed arm portions 12 connectedat one end by the bight portion 14. The upper ends of the arms areformed to project toward each other as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Theseoverhanging upper end portions of the arms are feature is that the coiland bobbin,

indicated as 16 and terminate spaced from each other providingtherebetween an armature passageway.

The inner surface of the bight 14; of the stator is provided with a lugportion 18 over which the bobbin and coil assembly is seated asillustrated particularly in FIG. 2. A passageway 20 extends through thebight of the stator and through this lug portion 18 whereby an operatingelement such as a rod might be extended therethrough to be actuated bythe armature of the solenoid.

Removably receivable within the space between the arms 12 of the statoris an energizing coil and bobbin assembly. This assembly is slidable asa unit from either side to a position between the two arms of thestator. The coil and bobbin assembly includes a spool or bobbin 22 whichmay be formed of suitable insulating material and about which the coil24 of fine wire is wound. A liner 26 of thin sheet metal or othersuitable material extends through the interior of the bobbin as shownand projects thereabove as indicated at 28 into the space between theoverhanging end portions 1d of the stator arms 12.

, A generally T-shaped armature having a shank portion 30 and a headportion 32 is provided. The shank portion 30 is received between theoverhanging end portions -16 of the arms and into the interior of thepassageway through the bobbin for reciprocation therein. This armaturemay be built up of a multiplicity of thin laminations of' magneticmaterial in a manner well known. The head 32 of the armature is shown asseating upon the upper ends 16 of the arms 12.

To hold these three parts of the magnet together, I provide a springclip indicated generally as 36. This spring clip is U-shaped inconfiguration having complementary opposed arms 38 connected at one endby a bight portion 40. The opposite and free ends of the arms areoutspread at indicated in FIG. 4 for a purpose hereinafter set forth.The two arms are shaped so as to exhibit tWo pairs of oppositelydisposed inwardly projecting protuberances. ()ne pair of theseprotuberances is indicated as 42- and the other pair is indicated as 44.The arms of the clip are preferably shaped as at 46 to exhibit oppositearcuate edges or wedgelike surfaces.

To assemble the coil and bobbin assembly between the two arms of thestator as shown in the figures of the drawings, such bobbin and coilassembly is inserted from one side between the arms 12 and seated overthe lug 18 of the bight portion of the stator. Such lug is receivablewithin the open end of the passageway through the bobbin or spool 22 asillustrated in FIG. 2. It will be noted that the projecting upper endportion of the lining 28 of the bobbin is received between the oppositeends of the overhanging arms 16. It will also be noted that there is aspace between the upper end of the bobbin as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 andthe underside of the overhanging end portions 16 of the arms 12.

The U-shaped spring clip is next passed over the arms of the stator asshown particularly in FIG. 3. It is passed over one arm 12 until thebight portion 40 bears against such arm 12 and the diverging free endportions of the spring clip arms engage opposite sides of the otherstator arm 12, all as shown in FIG. 3. When the clip is so engagedintermediate portions of its arms engage opposite sides of theprojecting end 28 of the coil liner 26. When the clip is so engaged withthe coil liner and the stator arms, it will be seen that the opposedprotuberances 42 and 44 of the resilient spring arms of the clip arewedged between the overhanging end portions 16 of stator arms 12 and theadjacent end of the coil and bobbin assembly.

Opposed inwardly projecting protuberances 42 are received between oneoverhanging arm 16 and the end of the bobbin and coil assembly beingwedged therebetween.

3 Opposed inwardly projecting protuberances 44 of the spring clip armsare received underneath the overhanging end of the other stator arm andabove the adjacent end portion of the bobbin and coil assembly andwedged therebetween.

T he resilient spring arms of the clip are tensioned toward each otherso that the spring tension is such as to wedge the arcuate edges of thearms in place between the stator and the bobbin. As the spring arms ofthe clip are thus wedged in position the bobbin is held down against thebight of the stator and held in position by virtue of theinterengagement of the lug 18 of the bight portion with the bobbin. Theresilient tension of the spring clip does not act directly to hold thebobbin and coil assembly against the bight portion of the stator but itacts to urge the two arms of the spring clip toward each other and thiswedges them between the overhanging ends of the stator arms and theadjacent end of the bobbin and thus holds the bobbin assembly toward thebight of the stator.

The solenoid may be provided with a base plate such as is indicated at48, which may be secured to one side of a stator arm by welding or thelike. This base plate may be provided with means whereby it may beattached to a support as desired.

Due to the simplicity of the assembly of parts, it is possible toassemble the component parts of this solenoid easily and rapidly. It isalso possible to disassemble the structure rapidly and this assembly anddisassembly may be carried out without the use of any special tools.

What 1 claim is:

1. In a solenoid, a generally C-shaped stator having opposed arms spacedapart providing a coil and bobbin assembly-receiving space therebetween,said arms connected at one end by the bight portion of the C-shapedstator and provided at the end opposite to said bight portion withinturned arm portions terminating spaced apart providing anarmature-receiving opening therebetween, said bight portion of thestator provided with a lug spaced between the stator arms and projectingupwardly, a coil and bobbin assembly positioned between the stator armsseated upon the bight portion of the stator and spaced below theinturned ends of the stator arms with the passageway through the bobbinreceived at one end over said lug and at the opposite end aligned withthe armaturereceiving opening between said inturned ends of the arms andwith a portion of the bobbin extending beyond the coil and toward thespace between the inturned ends of the stator arms, a T-shaped armaturehaving its shank portion reciprocably extending through thearmature-receiving opening between said inturned ends of the stator armsand into the bobbin passageway, and a generally U-shaped spring cliphaving its arms resiliently tensioned toward each other removably sprungtransversely over one arm of the stator immediately underneath theinturned end of said arm with the two arms of the clip adjacent to itsbight portion grippingly embracing therebetween said arm of the statorand grippingly embracing therebetween that portion of the bobbinassembly extending toward the space between the inturned ends of thestator arms, said two arms of the clip between the portion embracingsaid stator arm and the portion embracing said portion of the bobbinassembly tensioned toward each other and wedged within the space betweenthe inturned end of the embraced stator arm and the adjacent end of thecoil and bobbin assembly holding the coil and bobbin assembly toward thebight of the stator.

2. A solenoid as defined in claim 1 characterized in that portions ofthe two arms of the clip on opposite sides of that portion of the twoarms which grippingly embraces that portion of the bobbin assembly thatextends toward the space between the inturned ends of the stator armsand are wedged into the space between the two inturned ends of thestator arms and adjacent opposed end portions of the bobbin assemblyholding the bobbin assembly yiel'dingly toward the bight of the stator.

3. A solenoid as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the two armsof the clip on opposite sides of that portion thereof which grippinglyembraces that portion of the bobbin assembly that extends toward thespace be tween the inturned ends of the stator arms are provided withindentations projecting toward each other and said indentations aretensioned toward each other and are wedged into the space between thetwo inturned ends of the stator arms and the adjacent opposite ends ofthe bobbin assembly holding the bobbin assembly yieldingly toward thebight of the stator.

4. A solenoid as defined in claim 3 characterized in that saidindentations of the spring clip have their opposite edges tapered towardeach other inwardly of the clip, and the free ends of the two arms ofthe clip grippingly engage an arm of the stator.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,616,452 Clay et al. Nov. 4, 1952 2,715,199 Bogue et al Aug. 9, 19552,812,479 Seitzman Nov. 5, 1957 2,904,729 Harwood Sept. 15, 1959

